Rig Veda 8.13.14: Mandala 8, Sukta 13, Mantra 14
Sukta 8.13
- Devata
- Indra
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder) and Vira (heroism)
आ तू गहि प्र तु द्रव मत्स्वा सुतस्य गोमतः । तन्तुं तनुष्व पूर्व्यं यथा विदे ॥
ā́ tū́ gahi prá tú drava mátsvā sutásya gómataḥ | tántuṃ tanuṣva pū́rvyaṃ yáthā vidé ||
यहाँ आओ, और तेज़ी से चलो। सोम रस पियो और खुश हो जाओ। हमारे अंदर वो पुराना धागा फैलाओ ताकि हम सच में जान सकें।
Word by Word
- आ
- hither, towards (adds ‘come!’ sense)Indeclinableउपसर्ग (क्रियायोगे) / preverbRoot आ (उपसर्ग) / ā (preverb)
- तू
- youPronounपुं/स्त्री/नपुं (सर्वनाम), प्रथमा एकवचन (2nd person pronoun used as subject)Role KartāRoot त्वम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) / tvam
- गहि
- come!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; वैदिक रूप ‘गहि’ = ‘गच्छ’Root गम् (धातु) / gam ‘to go, come’
- प्र
- forth, forwardIndeclinableउपसर्ग/क्रियाविशेषणRoot प्र (उपसर्ग) / pra
- तु
- indeed, then, butIndeclinableसमुच्चय/विरोध/अनुनासिक निपात (emphatic/contrastive particle)Root तु (निपात) / tu
- द्रव
- run, hasten!Verbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘द्रव’ = ‘run/haste!’Root द्रु (धातु) / dru ‘to run’ (Vedic: drav-)
- मत्स्व
- rejoice, be exhilaratedVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद रूप ‘मत्स्व’Root मद् (धातु) / mad ‘to be exhilarated, rejoice’
- सुतस्य
- of the pressed SomaNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive relation) / (of)Root सुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √सु ‘to press (Soma)’) / suta
- गोमतः
- rich in cattle (abounding)Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचन (विशेषणम् ‘सुतस्य’ अथवा ‘(सोमस्य)’)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive relation) / (of)Root गोमत् (प्रातिपदिक) / gomant ‘having cows, rich in cattle’
- तन्तुम्
- the threadNounपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनRole KarmaRoot तन्तु (प्रातिपदिक) / tantu ‘thread’
- तनुष्व
- stretch, extendVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद ‘तनुष्व’Root तन् (धातु) / tan ‘to stretch, extend’
- पूर्व्यम्
- ancient, primevalAdjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘तन्तुम्’ इति विशेषणम्Role Karma (as qualifier of the object)Root पूर्व्य (प्रातिपदिक) / pūrvya ‘former, ancient, primeval’
- यथा
- so that, asIndeclinableउपमान/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय; correlates with a following clauseRoot यथा (अव्यय) / yathā
- विदे
- (so that) he/one may know; may it be found/attainedVerbलिट् (परिप्रास/परफेक्ट; वैदिक), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद/परस्मैपद वैदिक प्रयोग; अर्थे ‘may he/one know, may it be known/attained’ (injunctive-like Vedic usage possible)Root विद् (धातु) / vid ‘to know, find’
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेद (Vedic sandhi resolution): आ | तू | गहि | प्र | तु | द्रव | मत्स्व | सुतस्य | गोमतः | तन्तुम् | तनुष्व | पूर्व्यम् | यथा | विदे । प्रमुख संधि: ‘आ’ उपसर्गः ‘गहि’ क्रियायोगे
- ‘मत्स्वा सुतस्य’ इत्यत्र पदपाठे ‘मत्स्व’ + ‘सुतस्य’ (स्वर/पदविभागेन ‘मत्स्वा’ लेखनम्)
- अन्यत्र स्पष्ट पदविभागः।
The meaning
Outer meaning
Indra is urged to come quickly, to run forward and rejoice in the pressed Soma rich in ‘cows’ (rays). He is asked to stretch the ancient thread so that we may know.
Inner meaning
The seeker calls the illumined Mind to swift action in the inner life: ‘run forth’—break inertia. Soma is the delight-essence; ‘gomat’ indicates it is full of rays of knowledge. ‘Stretch the ancient thread’ is the re-establishment of the primordial continuity (tantu) of truth-consciousness within the being—linking our present mind to the timeless Vedic seeing—so knowledge becomes direct (vide).
Universal truth
True knowledge arises when higher intelligence delights in inner bliss and restores the original continuity of consciousness, turning scattered experience into a coherent, living truth.
Themes
Urgent invocation, Knowledge-thread, Soma illumination, Continuity of the ancient way
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.13.1-18
Family tradition
Kāṇva-style Indra-Soma invocation; emphasis on swift descent and knowledge-thread imagery.
Significance
The seer frames yoga as a weaving: joy (Soma) + light (go) + continuity (tantu) yields true knowledge (vid).
The deity
- Devata
- Indra
- Epithets
- Śakra, Maghavan, Vajrin (wielder of the vajra)
- Related deities
- Soma, Agni, Sarasvatī (knowledge-flow), Bṛhaspati
Cosmic role
Accelerates the release of light; leads the gods’ victory over obstruction; makes the path forward.
Inner power
Dynamic illumination—clarity that also acts, pushing the being forward into truth.
In ritual
Where it is used
Indra invited to Soma draught during Soma-yajña
आ तू ग॑हि॒ प्र तु द्र॑व॒ मत्स्वा॑ सु॒तस्य॒ गोम॑तः । तन्तुं॑ तनुष्व पू॒र्व्यं यथा॑ वि॒दे ॥
आ । तु । ग॒हि॒ । प्र । तु । द्र॒व॒ । मत्स्व॑ । सु॒तस्य॑ । गोऽम॑तः । तन्तु॑म् । त॒नु॒ष्व॒ । पू॒र्व्यम् । यथा॑ । वि॒दे ॥
ā | tu | gahi | pra | tu | drava | matsva | sutasya | go--mataḥ | tantum | tanuṣva | pūrvyam | yathā | vide
Likely Triṣṭubh (invocatory, energetic; approximate 4×11)
44
4 × 11 (approx.)
Rapid imperative pulses (‘ā… pra…’), suited to a quickening of inner force.
Stirs urgency and forward momentum; culminates in a calmer, weaving cadence on ‘tantuṃ tanuṣva’.
- आ तू गहि (ā tū gahi)
- Literal: come here indeed. Symbolic: invitation for the higher consciousness to descend into the field of practice
- प्र तु द्रव (pra tu drava)
- Literal: run forth. Symbolic: swift breaking of tamas; urgent forward movement of the will and intelligence
- मत्स्व (matsva)
- Literal: rejoice, be exhilarated. Symbolic: divine enjoyment/consent in the offering; bliss energizing illumination
- सुतस्य (sutasya)
- Literal: of the pressed (Soma). Symbolic: distilled delight from disciplined practice and aspiration
- गोमतः (gomataḥ)
- Literal: rich in cows. Symbolic: rich in rays of light/knowledge (go = illumination)
- तन्तुं तनुष्व (tantuṃ tanuṣva)
- Literal: stretch the thread. Symbolic: restore the hidden continuity of truth; weave the inner being into integral awareness
- पूर्व्यं (pūrvyaṃ)
- Literal: ancient, primal. Symbolic: the original divine order in consciousness; perennial wisdom
- यथा विदे (yathā vide)
- Literal: so that we may know. Symbolic: from belief to direct seeing/gnosis
Urgent invitation during soma offering: Indra is asked to delight in soma and to ‘stretch the thread’—stabilizing continuity of the rite and the inner knowledge it awakens.
During Soma offering moments calling Indra to drink and empower the rite.
Offering pressed Soma; inviting deity to partake; strengthening the rite’s efficacy.
Use before study/meditation: invoke swift clarity, then contemplate ‘tantu’ as the thread of attention linking breath, thought, and insight.
go-mat is read as ‘rich in rays/illumined knowledges’ (go as light/knowledge in RV symbolism). tantu ‘thread’ (√tan) is continuity of ṛta and of the ancient path—an inner lineage of right consciousness to be extended in the seeker. √vid ‘know’ (PIE *weyd- ‘see/know’) explicitly ties illumination to knowledge.
go (ray/knowledge) symbolism, tantu as continuity of ṛta and inner tradition, vidyā (knowing) as goal
‘Tantu’ can be read as ṛta’s continuity—right order woven through mind and life.
Knowledge as vision, not inference: ‘vide’.
Weaving/extension motif: creation as a stretched thread or web of consciousness.
Integral Vedic symbolism: Ananda (Soma) supports Vijñāna-like knowing through illumined mind (Indra).
Distilled joy in the nerves/mind (Soma) carrying rays of insight (go), producing a continuous attentive thread (tantu) that yields knowledge.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The recovery/extension of the ‘thread’ and the ‘cows’ (rays): rather than theft narratives, the verse uses go-mat soma and tantu imagery to describe extension of luminous continuity that enables knowledge (vide).
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √tan (tantu, tanuṣva) reflects PIE *ten- ‘stretch’ (Latin tendō, English ‘tend’/‘tense’ via related developments). √vid reflects PIE *weyd- (Greek oîda, Latin videō). The verse fuses these: stretched continuity enables seeing/knowing.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The rishi does not merely request enjoyment of soma; he asks Indra to perform an inner work—extend the primordial continuity of right consciousness—so the human can arrive at true knowledge (vide). The offering is the condition; the divine action is illumination and integration.
‘Tantu’ practice: feel a subtle thread from heart to brow; invite Indra to straighten and extend it into steady awareness.
ājñā (for knowing) with support of anāhata (for Soma-joy)
Brisk 6–8 rounds of energizing breath (kapālabhāti-like, gentle) then settle into slow inhale/exhale while mentally repeating ‘tantuṃ tanuṣva’.
From scattered attention to continuous luminous mindfulness.
Offer your ‘pressed Soma’ as purified joy (gratitude, sincerity). Ask for knowledge that is coherent and lived—one thread through the day.
Imperatives often carry lift; maintain crisp accent on ‘ā’ and ‘pra’; preserve svarita transitions as marked in Saṃhitā (śākhā-dependent).
Punch ‘ā tū gahi / pra tu drava’ with clear caesura; soften into a sustained tone on ‘tantuṃ tanuṣva’.
‘drava’: clear ‘dr’ cluster, ‘gomataḥ’: long ‘o’, light final visarga, ‘tantuṃ’: nasalize ‘ṃ’ lightly; do not over-close, ‘pūrvyaṃ’: long ‘ū’, palatal ‘vy’ glide
commanding at the start, then steady and luminous for the knowledge-portion.
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